Mama Told Me There Be Girls Like You
by PyroAndrea
Summary: Violentine. AU. Violet is forced to go to a strip club for Louis's bachelor party. Not a place she was comfortable going in the least. While there a certain curly haired dancer catches her eye and holds on. Will harmless flirtations turn into something more?
1. Part 1 (of 4)

Violet wasn't the kind of girl who went to strip clubs. Not to say she didn't appreciate a pretty girl when she saw one or that she judged the women who worked there. No, it just wasn't her type of place. Everyone was drinking and smoking, she never knew where to look. Yes, the girls on stage expected you to look at them but sometimes you'd make unexpected eye contact and then it was just awkward. Violet wasn't good in ordinary social situations, much less social situations that involved mostly naked gorgeous women trying to throw themselves at you for money.

She went once before and regretted the entire night. After that she vowed never to go again, but seeing as how it was Louis's bachelor party and she was one of his grooms persons, she felt obligated to tag along.

Marlon, Louis's best man, had assured everyone that this was a classy strip club. Which apparently meant, according to him, that they cleaned the facilities regularly, the dancers were hot and they had a full service bar.

Minerva had come along as well, she was Sophie's maid of honor and she said she wanted to make sure Louis didn't get into too much trouble. With Marlon and Mitch around, things could get rowdy fast, but Violet was almost certain she had come along to keep an eye on her.

"Shouldn't you be with Sophie tonight?" Violet questioned as Marlon was busy paying everyone's cover charge.

"Don't you want me here?" Minerva retorted suspiciously, "I thought you might appreciate another female presence."

Violet considered making a joke about how almost everyone in the club would be female, but she decided against it, "I'm glad you're here." She decided on saying, but it wasn't entirely true. It wasn't like she _didn't_ want her here, but it wasn't like she _wanted_ her there either.

Violet wasn't sure what her and Minerva were, friends with benefits? They hadn't exactly labeled it and Minerva's aloof demeanor the majority of the time had Violet not even wanting to be that anymore. There was a time she had wanted a relationship with Minerva. A real committed relationship, but Minerva had said she wasn't ready. Violet was tired of waiting for her to be ready, she was in her mid 20's now. Several of her friends were getting married and here she was with no girlfriend, not even in a real relationship, had never _been_ in a real relationship...

"Let's go Vi, if I have to do this, you have to do this." Louis grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her past the bouncer and into the club. It was dimly lit, the smell of cigars hung heavily in the air, Mitch made an excited squeal as he led the group all the way to a table right next to the stage.

"Don't you have to tip when you sit up here?" Marlon whispered.

"Yes, but you get the best views, and it's our Louis's last night as a free man." Mitch reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the largest stack of one dollar bills that Violet had ever seen, "I spared no expense for my boy." Mitch thudded Louis heavily on the back.

"Is there anything I need to know..." Louis laughed nervously, glancing up wide eyed at the woman on stage, "I've never been somewhere like this before..."

"All I can say is use your eyes, not your hands. Touching is a no-no unless you want to get us thrown out. Let them touch you, you don't touch them." Mitch explained.

"Got it..." Louis said, looking unsure about this whole situation.

Violet grabbed a chair at the table, as far away from the stage as possible, Minerva sitting down right beside her. Mitch was already eagerly tucking a dollar bill into the thong band of one of the strippers on stage, garnering her attention. She more fully faced the table as she danced around her pole.

"I'm going to get a drink." Violet decided, glancing up uncomfortably at the girl dancing right above them. She must be near the end of her performance because she hardly had anything left to strip off. Violet didn't know how much strippers took off at this club. She knew enough from listening to Mitch on the way here that it varied from place to place. She was already a mess with them just in a thong and string bikini. She glanced awkwardly around the room, her eyes connected with several topless girls and she looked back down at the floor. What had she gotten herself into?

"Get me a drink, I don't want to leave the table!" Mitch waved his hand at the blonde, eyes glued to the girls on stage. Violet rolled her eyes as everyone at the table began giving her their drink orders. She pulled her phone out to make a note but Marlon grabbed it and stuck it under the table the second she held it in front of her face.

"No cellphones allowed up here. They'll think you're taking pictures of the girls and kick us out." Marlon said seriously.

"I'll help you get the orders." Minerva shrugged, standing from her seat as well. Violet accepted, needing the assistance, they each remembered some of the orders and went to the bar to retrieve them for the group.

Clementine sat at her small vanity in the dressing room. She set down her curling iron and sprayed her hair down with the strongest hair spray she could find. There was a time her hair had natural ringlets that bounced around her head as she twirled, but now they were more like unruly waves than curls. Unruly waves that she forced into curls every night before she got on stage. Her "natural" ringlets got her more attention and the more attention she got, the more money she made.

"That guy's out there again." Molly, a fellow dancer, said, walking in. She threw the clothes she had stripped off onto her vanity, "Hasn't bought any personal dances, hasn't even tipped the stage, he's just sitting at the bar, drinking. I think he's waiting for you."

Clementine groaned, "I shouldn't be surprised, he's been here every weekend for over a month now..." she leaned forward, liberally applying orange eye shadow in the mirror, "He's so creepy. Always talking about his uncle. 'My uncle's a famous baseball player blah blah blah' it's pathetic."

"It seems like he pays well though." Molly shrugged.

"Yeah... he's pretty generous, but it always feels like he's going to get handsy. I swear if he ever puts his grubby paws on me I'm going to knock him on the ground and stab my heel through his throat."

Molly laughed as she pulled on a bathrobe, "I don't doubt that for a second Clem."

Clementine's ears perked up as the song ended signaling that it was almost her turn on stage. She stood up from her stool and gave herself one last look over in the mirror. Black choker, burnt orange low-cut dress, thigh high fish nets and platform heels. She gave her hair a test flip and left the dressing room.

"You should try smiling more darlin', you'll get more tips." A man was waiting for her outside the dressing room, leaning against the wall.

"I thought you managed the _club_, Carver, not me." Clementine folded her arms across her chest and stared hard at the man.

"Just some helpful advice. You can look pretty intimidating up there sometimes." Carver said, hands in his pockets.

"Some men like to be intimidated." Clementine looked at Carver challengingly, he laughed heartily.

"You're right about that, some men are weak, being with a strong woman makes them feel strong. You're not like most of the girls that work here Clem, you don't belong on that stage. You're not happy up there. I can see it in your eyes, but you do it anyway. I respect that. I've been thinking about expanding. Opening a new club. You could manage that club for me."

"I'm just saving up for college, this isn't my career, it's not who I am." Clementine frowned at him, hating to admit to herself that the prospect of taking off her high heels felt good. Being behind the stage instead of on it sounded amazing, but this wasn't a something she intended to spend the rest of her life doing.

"You take that money you've got saved, put it in with me, you'll be a partial owner. Just think about it, I can take you under my wing, train you in the business. You and me, we're a lot more alike than you might want to admit." he said, just as a new song started up.

"I'll think about it." Clementine agreed, walking up to the curtain and stepping out onto the stage, putting on the mask that everyone wanted to see.

Violet and Minerva walked back to their table, handing everyone their drinks just as the curtain opened and a new dancer walked out. Violet fumbled with the drink she was handing Mitch when she saw the girl. Her brown curls bounced as she approached the pole, confident with more of a smirk than a smile on her face.

"Hey, watch it! I don't want it to look like I wet my pants. I was wanting to get a lap dance later." Mitch fumed, taking his drink and dabbing at his pants with a napkin.

"Get your own drink next time then." Violet growled back, sitting down in her chair, she sipped at her gin, trying to not look too obvious as she stared at the brunette over the rim. Red creeping up her neck and into her face as the zipper on the orange dress she was wearing was pulled, down, down, down.

Violet's eyes darted up to the girl's face to see her honey eyes staring right back. The brunette barely had time to wink before Violet dropped her eyes back down at her drink. She heard the sound of fabric hitting the stage followed by Mitch's wolf whistles. Her cheeks got hot without even looking up. The drink must have loosened Louis up because he joined in the catcalls, throwing dollar bills on the stage. Violet couldn't fight the temptation to look up. Her eyes left her glass, intending to look up quickly and then back down again but once she was looking she couldn't look away.

She swallowed hard watching the brunette holding onto the pole, arching over another table of guys, only wearing a black corset and thong, a garter belt held up her fishnets and had several dollar bills tucked inside. Though the girl was mostly naked, Violet found herself staring at her hair, her cheeks flushed with exertion, and how soft her skin looked.

"Enjoying the show more than you thought?" Minerva scoffed, Violet's eyes quickly shot over to the red head.

"No, but I'm here, what else am I supposed to do?" She tried to act casual but the blush on her face gave her away.

"Seems like you're only watching one show. You haven't even glanced at the girl dancing right over there." Minerva pointed to another girl dancing at another pole on stage to the left of them.

"Yes I have." Violet said defensively, starting to turn her head but Minerva put a hand over her eyes.

"What color hair do they have?" Minerva questioned, almost angrily.

"Um..." Violet had no idea, she hadn't even wasted a glance on that other stripper after she saw the curly haired girl come out, "Red?" she took a guess. Minerva scoffed again as she moved her hand away, Violet took the chance to look, "Pink... that's pretty close."

"Yeah... neon pink and red are _real_ close." Minerva said sarcastically.

"What do you care if I look at a stripper, we're not together. You've made that abundantly clear." Violet finished her drink. Standing to get another. Minerva glared angrily as she left.

By the time she got back to her seat, the song had ended and Minerva had moved her chair to the other side of Louis. The brunette must have finished her performance because she was walking off the stage, heading straight for their table, wearing even less than before but still covered by what had to of been the smallest bikini Violet had ever seen.

Violet sat down, drink still in hand. No, the dancer she had been staring at all night wasn't just coming toward their table, she was coming towards Violet, hips swaying as she walked. The blonde froze in her seat, barely having the mental capacity to set her drink on the nearby table before the brunette had her caged in, hands on either side of her head, gripped onto the backrest of the chair.

"I noticed you watching me, I was watching you too." The brunette spoke softly, "They call me Citrus Honey, but _you _can call me Honey, what should I call you?"

Violet didn't know if she could speak at all, her voice caught in her throat as she struggled to keep her focus on on the girl's eyes instead of her breasts that were excruciatingly close to her face, "V-Violet." She managed to stutter out. No part of the brunette was touching the blonde but their proximity was painful. She could smell the dancer's perfume, as the subtle scent of oranges surrounded them.

"Violet, that's a beautiful name. It's fitting for a beautiful girl like you." Honey purred, "Most of the other dancers don't know how to handle women, but between you and me," the girl glanced around the table at all the men, before leaning in to whisper in her ear, "I prefer them."

Violet suddenly found her mouth very dry, she attempted to swallow but there was simply nothing there to swallow. "Hey Vi, have a lap dance, I'm paying!" Mitch said, reaching over the table to slam down a twenty dollar bill. Violet shook her head 'no', unable to speak.

Honey tucked a strand of hair behind Violet's ear, her well manicured nails grazed against the blonde's cheek, "Don't be shy Violet, I'll be gentle." her curls brushed against Violet's face as she spoke, tickling her cheek.

"I-I can't, um, thank you though... uh... ma'am..." Violet sputtered out, her heart was pounding a mile a minute as everyone else at the table laughed.

"Your loss, this here's the bachelor boy, he'll have a go, right Lou?" Mitch stood up and pointed at Louis.

"I-uh, sure, I'm in." Louis laughed somewhat uncomfortably.

"Shame..." Honey whispered to Violet, she stood up from her leaned over position, picking the money off the table and slipping it in her garter belt as she went. Every movement fluid, her posture, perfection.

Violet watched her walk away, not sure how she managed to walk so elegantly in such tall heels. The girl wasted no time straddling Louis's lap, "Getting married? What a big day for you." She draped her arms around his neck, twirling one of his dreads around her fingers. Just like that, she was flirting with someone else, Violet knew she hadn't been anything special. Nothing more than a hopeful payout for the girl. She hadn't really thought of it as anything more, but she couldn't help the way her stomach somersaulted when those honey eyes had pierced her own.

"Y-yeah... she looks... um... nothing like you..." Louis leaned back in his seat, only for Honey to lean closer. Minerva shot the boy a disgusted look, he clung onto the seat of his chair, "Not like that's a bad thing, you two just... look different... is all..." Louis groaned at himself for sticking his foot in his mouth. This girl was completely opposite from Sophie in every way. Sophie was tall, this girl, even in heels he could tell she was short. Sophie had straight hair, this girl had curls. Red hair, brown hair. Pale skin, dark. He could go on and on.

He found himself inexplicably attracted to them both, but knew what he was feeling right now was largely related to the tightness in his pants and not actual love. He knew better than to confuse... stimulation... with what he felt for his fiance.

Violet couldn't watch, she turned her body away from the scene, not wanting to witness her best friend getting aroused. Why did guys think this was fun? It was extraordinarily uncomfortable. Seeing her friends in any sort of sexual situation was certainly not on her to do list.

Though she had looked away, she couldn't help but hear him, "I could never be a stripper," Louis talked, as was his habit to do when in an awkward situation, "I'd fall over too much trying to take my pants off." The other guys at the table snickered, "One time Sophie saw me dancing and asked me if I was a dancer, a pole dancer and I told her... I said, I've never even been to Poland!"

Violet rolled her eyes, did this guy ever shut up? Even when he was being grinded on he kept yapping, poor Sophie.

Violet continued sipping on her drink, wishing she could browse on her phone. As the song ended she took a hesitant look back at her friends, surprised to see Honey still wearing her top, as skimpy as it was, many of the dancers had removed theirs by the time the began roaming the crowds.

Mitch handed her a couple dollars as tip and Violet could see a guy over Mitch's shoulder sitting at a table near the back waving in their direction. When Honey's eyes scanned the club, they landed on the guy and Violet swore she saw her steely features slip momentarily into a grimace, before regaining her indifference. She threw a few more flirtatious remarks at Louis, Mitch, Marlon and even the grouchy looking Minerva before she put her hands on the table, leaning over as far as she could, she looked at Violet, catching her off guard, "And you Violet... You let me know when you're ready." she said with a wink.

The boys at the table 'Oooooo'd', but Violet could only manage to squeak out a, "'kay." As the brunette smirked and left the table, hips swinging as she approached the guy who was waving at her earlier, the guy wearing a red beanie.

Several songs and drinks later Violet looked around, trying to pretend she was just casually glancing around the room when she was really looking around for Honey. Surprised when she found her still sitting with that same beanie wearing guy from earlier. She was sitting on his lap, one arm around his neck while the other hand rubbed circles on his chest. Her legs were crossed to the side, bouncing slightly as she nodded and smiled at the guy as he talked and talked.

Clementine continued to smile politely at Gabe, giving him her full attention, or at least appearing like she was. The song ended, signaling the end of Gabe's paid time, she frowned, as if she were sad to leave him. She made to stand, internally groaning when he quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out another twenty.

She took the money and sank back onto his lap. Grateful at least that the DJ was on her side and had been playing short songs ever since she reached Gabe, "I wish we could talk somewhere more private... I feel like I can hardly hear you over the music!" He frowned, nearly setting his hand down on Clementine's lap, but at a sharp look from the brunette he chuckled nervously and dropped it back down to his side.

Clementine bit her lip, hesitant on telling Gabe about the private rooms, but it was good money. Money she couldn't really afford to turn down right now, "There are private rooms in the back, where you can get the... extended performance..." She dropped her shoulder, coaxing the thin string of a sleeve to slide down her arm.

The guy's eyes lit up as he scanned over the very few parts of her body that were still covered, "For a price." she added, just so that it was clear.

"How much?" He asked over zealously. Clementine rotated around so that she was facing him, pressing her body into his she whispered the amount into his ear, "Done." he breathed. With Clementine still on his lap he awkwardly reached into his back pocket, fumbling slightly for his wallet, he pulled out his credit card.

She took the card from him with a smile, "I'll be right back, don't go _anywhere_." She pushed off on his shoulders as she stood, dragging her fingers across his chest, and up his arms, taking his card from his hand. She brought it to the bar to make the charge, ordering a strong drink for herself as she waited for them to run it.

Violet watched curiously as Honey pulled the beanie headed boy out of his chair and led him through a side hallway that she hadn't noticed before.

"Mitch." Violet asked, but the boy was too busy sticking bills into the cleavage of the latest dancer on stage, "Hey, Mitch!" She spoke louder, he turned to look at her with a glare.

"What?" He asked angrily, clearly wanting his attention to be elsewhere.

"Where does that hallway lead?" Violet pointed at the direction she had seen Honey disappear.

"That's the private rooms. Crazy expensive. You get your own show, they can take everything off back there, _everything_." He emphasized with an eyebrow waggle, "You tip enough and they'll even let you touch them."

"Touch... like... _sex_?" Violet whispered, Mitch laughed.

"Not sex. I told you Vi, this is a _classy_ strip club, you have to go to one of the dirty ones if you want illegal prostitution." Mitch looked amused.

Violet's face reddened, "I-I don't know how these places work! Just... leave me alone." she grumped, leaning her head tiredly on the table as everyone else continued to enjoy their night. She had too much to drink and when she drank too much, she got sleepy. Her heavy eyelids closed of their own accord and she drifted off.

"Wakey wakey!" Marlon shook Violet's shoulder, "Club's closing, time to get out of here. Prince Charming needs a little sleep before his wedding day tomorrow... I mean today." He laughed.

"The wedding..." Violet groaned, after a night like tonight she just wanted to lay in bed all day, watching tv and eating snacks, not dress up and parade herself in front of a bunch of strangers.

"Upsy daisy!" Marlon laughed, hauling the blonde to her feet.

He tried to wrap his arm around her to keep her stabilized but she shoved him away, "I'm okay, I can walk!"

"Okay!" Marlon held his hands up defensively before leading the group out into the nearly empty parking lot. It was dark outside, but the moon and stars shone bright above them, lighting their way to the car. Aasim had agreed to come pick them up at a designated time, not wanting to attend himself but wanting to ensure that they all made it home safely. Everyone began piling into the car. Violet was last, just starting to step in when she heard yelling in the parking lot behind her.

"Come on! I just want your number!"

She took a step back and looked around the parking lot. That beanie headed boy she seen earlier inside the club had someone backed against the wall of the building, as he yelled at them in a heated voice. The blonde only hesitated for a second before running over to the two.

"What's going on here?" She yelled, gaining their attention. The person backed against the wall was shorter, wearing a baseball cap and a baggy red hoodie. Violet had come to help but she could see the person in the hat was holding a small canister of pepper spray in her hand.

"You're just a tease! You slut!" The boy yelled at the girl, angrily punching the wall beside her head before turning and walking to a nearby car, "Whore!" He called out as he got in and drove off.

Violet and the girl in the red hoodie watched in silence as he drove away. When he was out of sight the girl cleared her throat, "Hey, um, thanks Violet." the girl said, looking up so that Violet could get a good glimpse of her face, "That can happen from time to time..."

Violet's eyes widened in shock at the girl in front of her, it was Honey from the club, but she didn't look like Honey. Her hair was pulled into a bun and only a few glittered remnants of makeup remained on her face. Her voice was lighter, less husky and more natural sounding.

"You're welcome..." The blonde smiled, surprised that the dancer had remembered her name. She stuck her hands into her pockets, "Are you okay? He didn't hurt you did he?" Concern shining through her voice as her eyes scanned over the girl. She didn't know how but the brunette managed to look even more attractive in jeans and a hoodie than she had inside the club with almost nothing on.

"No, he didn't hurt me. He's just an over privileged prick. Too scared to really try anything." Honey said, glaring off at where the boy had disappeared.

"I guess some idiots don't understand that flirting is just part of your job..." Violet said, just wanting to talk to this girl for a little bit longer, hoping the brunette could feel the same spark that Violet did.

"It is..." Honey shrugged, "but just because I flirt for tips doesn't mean that I'm always lying..." she winked and Violet's heart leapt.

She was overtaken by a sudden surge of bravery, "I know this is exactly what that guy was doing... feel free to spray me with your pepper spray..." Violet gestured to the canister still in her hand, "but... would you want to go out with me sometime?" She shuffled her shoes nervously, immediate regret filling her at the stupidity of her request.

"Violet... I think you're really cute..." The brunette began, Violet knew it was coming before she said it, but that didn't prevent the sting, "but I can't date patrons, not unless I know them better first. You come back to the club, let me make sure you're not a weirdo like that guy and then we'll talk dates."

"Okay." Violet nodded, resolved to do just that, "You um... have a good night Honey."

"Goodnight Violet, and... you can call me by my real name, it's Clementine." She stuck the spray back into her pocket and walked to her car, glancing back, offering Violet a small wave. The blonde waved back before running to get into SUV with her friends. She was putting her heart on the line for a girl she didn't even know, but for some reason she had a feeling that she was worth knowing.


	2. Part 2 (of 4)

Violet's heart thudded in her chest, almost in time with the music it seemed. The fast paced thump, thump running through her entire body, shaking her to the core. Her eyes were adjusted by now to the dim lights and smokey environment. She stared at the drink in her hand, swishing the liquid around, taking the occasional sip, glancing up at the start of each new song, waiting. Waiting for a certain curly haired girl to make her appearance.

It didn't matter how many times she had come here, being surrounded by mostly naked woman hadn't gotten any easier on her. Even though she now sat further from the stage than she had on her first night, the dancers would still come circle around her every once and a while, but there was only one dancer Violet wanted circling her. Even if that dancer made her heart race more than all the others combined.

The song switched again and Violet looked up at the stage, even from her distance and through the clouds of smoke she could recognize that smirking brunette that sauntered out from behind the curtain. Violet sat up straighter in her chair, no longer slumped over trying to avoid attention. She noticed that as Honey approached the pole on the right side of the stage, her eyes were scanning the crowd. When they landed on the blonde she winked and blew her an exaggerated kiss.

Violet's heart melted, heat rising up her face, she sunk back into her chair, trying to hold back her smile. Failing miserably she put her drink to her lips to hide it. The best thing about sitting further back was that she could watch Honey's performance without feeling like such a creep.

Citrus Honey's hair was up as she walked on stage, up in a messy bun that she pulled down and shook out as she spun around the pole. Dramatically revealing her curls to the delight of the men sitting near the stage.

Today she was wearing purple. Purple makeup, purple top and skirt, and as Violet was soon to find out, lacy purple lingerie underneath. The blonde couldn't help but wonder if Honey had chosen that color for her, but another part of her knew that it was probably just part of her wardrobe rotation and had nothing to do with her name. Probably.

All Violet knew for sure was that she couldn't take her eyes off the girl as she danced, everything about her was perfect. Violet especially loved the way her trademark smirk would shift briefly into a smile when she looked in the green eyed girl's direction.

After a few songs, Honey left the stage with less clothes and more money than what she had walked on with. Violet kept her eyes trained on her, hands getting sweaty and breath erratic as the curly haired brunette passed table after table full of eager men in order to get to her. The blonde quickly swallowed the rest of her drink, overtaken by nervousness she stared at the carpet instead of the girl approaching.

"Violet." Honey said in a husky voice, propping one of her heeled platforms on Violet's chair. She leaned in close and traced a long purple nail along the blonde's jaw, stopping just under her chin, raising her face so that she would look her in the eye, "Still so shy?"

Honey's amber eyes captured Violet's green ones and she couldn't look away, "A little." was the best she could squeak out.

Honey smiled a genuine smile at that, "Honesty. That's why you're my favorite customer."

"I'm sure you say that to _all_ your customers..." Violet said, biting her lip and breaking eye contact.

"Yes..." Honey laughed, the warmth of it almost overwhelmed the blonde, "but I only mean it when I say it to you."

"I'm sure you say that too..." Violet mumbled, but Honey just leaned closer so she could hear.

"You're right, I do," Honey laughed again and it was music to Violet's ears. It wasn't the fake laughter she heard her emit when she was flirting with other people around the club. There was something pure about it, "but I'm lying to everyone else."

Honey spoke again, a sensual tone to her voice, "I wore this for you, usually orange is my signature color, but I'm really liking how violet looks _all over me_. What do you think?"

Unable to Violet reached into her pocket and pulled out a twenty, holding it up for Honey to take with her hands but the brunette merely eyed it, "Are you going to let me earn that money this time?" she asked.

Violet's face reddened, "I-I just wanna talk." She reached with her foot and pushed the chair out next to her at the table, the same way she had for the past four weeks in a row. For the past four Saturdays Honey had taken the money and sat, allowing a couple songs to go by as Violet asked her questions about where she was born and where she went to school. Honey asking her questions in return. Almost as if they were speed dating.

This time however, Honey took the money and slid it back into Violet's pocket before unexpectedly sitting on the blonde's lap, taking the green eyed girl completely off guard. Her eyes widened and she leaned as far back in her chair as it would allow, hands hovering awkwardly out at her sides.

Violet opened and closed her mouth, but no words came out. Honey smirked as she gracefully slipped one leg to the other side of her lap so that she was now straddling her. The blonde's eyes widened even further, muttering incoherently, extremely aware of Clementine's thighs, hot against her own.

"Violet, there's this girl that's been coming to the club every weekend for a month. She's really adorable and I'm starting to feel guilty taking her money," Honey said, draping her arms around the blonde's neck, casually running her fingers through her hair as she spoke. Violet's heart pounded harder in her chest than it ever had before, "but the thing is, I really need to earn money..." Honey continued with a pout, "If you let me sit here while we talk and, say, maybe I let you put your hands," She took hold of Violet's hands, guiding them to a spot on her hips, "riiiiight here. You'd help me get enough attention to make up for giving you two free songs. What do you think?"

But Violet couldn't say anything as she awkwardly held onto the soft, exposed skin at Honey's waist. Overly aware of how warm and sweaty her hands probably were. After a few seconds of silence, Honey smirked, leaning in a little closer until their bodies just barely touched, "If it's okay with you, just leave your hands there and don't say a word." Her honey eyes scanned Violet's features, waiting for a rejection, but she received none, "Thank you Violet, I knew you'd understand. The thing about stripping, it's 25% looks, 25% dancing, and 50% hustling. I'm not the prettiest girl here and I _know _I'm not the best dancer, but I can hustle better than anyone else in the club." She said it with confidence and Violet believed her. She knew she had _her _trailing after her like a lost puppy, only hoping that she wasn't using her hustling skills on her as well.

"Clementine," Violet said softly, surprised at her own ability to speak, the earnestness of it breaking through the dancer's cocky exterior, "_I_ think you're the prettiest girl here."

Honey's eyes darted around Violet's face, as if she could see the uncertainty that lied within. The blonde had never said her real name before, she was starting to wonder if Violet had even heard it that first night in the parking lot. The use of it began to chip away at Clementine's defenses, but she attempted to keep up her flirtations, "That's interesting, because I _know _that _you're_ the prettiest girl here." But when she locked onto those green eyes, she faltered, a conflicted look taking over her usually bold features. She took a deep breath before proceeding, "Violet... I... every time I've gone out with a customer, it... it hasn't gone well..."

Violet stared back into those honey gold eyes, seeing insecurities within that she never imagined, "I don't know what you've been through. Our talks have been short and your answers have always been vague, but... I would never hurt you." Violet said, trying to sound confident herself, even though her voice trembled. Unconsciously her thumbs began to stroke Clementine's sides in a reassuring manner.

The song was almost over, Clementine knew she needed to move on in order to start making money, but she had something she wanted to say first, "When the club closes... would you want to grab something to eat with me?" She sounded vulnerable, different than Violet had ever heard her sound before, except for maybe the first night she met her outside the club.

"Yes, please." Violet said with an over eagerness that had Honey smirking once more.

The brunette leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "Meet me in the parking lot at close." before making an exaggerated show of standing. She turned on the spot and only then did Violet notice how many men had been gawking at them the entire time they had been talking. Her face burned red as she looked down at her empty drink.

This was not her favorite part of the night, watching Honey make her rounds in the club, getting paid to rub up against men, or worse, leading them back to the private rooms and doing things Violet didn't want to imagine. Most of the time she would leave at this point, but tonight she had to stay. She pulled her phone out and laid it flat on her table. The bouncer was a nice guy named Mike. He said she could use her phone so long as she didn't sit near the stage or take it off the table, to which she agreed. It was a helpful distraction as she waited for Honey to finish working.

When the bar closed at 3am, Violet walked outside, leaning nervously against the wall. She watched the troves of men in various stages of drunkenness leave the bar as her mind raced. This is what she had been wanting for over a month now, but now that she was getting it, her anxieties flared. She feared that Honey was just appeasing her, trying to get her to leave her alone, but she couldn't deny the individual attention the dancer seemed to give her. Then she couldn't help but worry about if she were using Honey, entranced by the girl's body, what if they really had nothing in common?

Could this whole relationship really only be skin deep?

Violet felt like there was more to it than that. A real connection was there. Besides, it was too late to worry about that anyway. She had gotten the date she had asked for weeks ago and she was going to make good on it.

The parking lot was mostly empty now, only a few cars remained and Violet was pretty certain that they belonged to the strippers. She yawned and stretched. When she had woken up the previous morning, she never would have imagined she would be going on a date so early in the morning.

The loud creak of a thick metal back door had Violet's head turning, she smiled brightly when she saw the girl she was waiting on exit the building, "Hey Violet, you waited... I thought you might have left..." Clementine said, sounding surprised and a little bit worried. She was wearing that same blue cap and baggy red hoodie she had before, looking self-conscious.

"Why would I do that?" Violet questioned, tilting her head and smiling.

"I... I don't know..." Clementine smiled a relieved smile back.

"Where do you want to eat?" Violet asked, almost not believing that this was really happening.

"There's a diner a couple blocks down the street. I like to eat there every Saturday morning. We could walk there, if that's okay with you?" Clementine asked, Violet looked down at the tennis shoes the brunette was wearing, so different than the heels she had been wearing minutes ago. The fact that Honey, intimidating and sexual, towered over her in her heels but Clementine, timid and sweet, was shorter than herself was completely endearing to the blonde.

"That sounds great." Violet nodded, "Lead the way."

Clementine led the way out of the parking lot and down the sidewalk, Violet matching her steps, staying in stride with the girl. The sky was dark, but the lights of the city were bright. Street lamps and headlights of passing cars lit up the path they walked. So many people were awake in the bustling city, it didn't seem as late as it really was. They were going about their lives, walking their dogs, lounging in outdoor bars with drinks in their hands.

Clementine spoke up, breaking Violet's daze as she looked around the city and it's inhabitants in amazement, "I have to be real strict with what I eat for my job, so I give myself a cheat meal once a week, the pancakes at this place are to die for."

"Saturday morning pancakes hm? That's cute." Violet remarked, noticing a tinge in the brunette's cheeks as she said it.

"My dad used to make pancakes every Saturday morning. The smell of them still reminds me of home..." Clementine reminisced.

"Home is back in Georgia right?" Violet asked, remembering things they had talked about before.

"It was..." Clementine said as they reached a corner block, cars zooming in front of them on the street, they waited for the red light across the road to turn green, indicating it was safe to walk. Several other people stopped beside them, waiting for the same thing, they glanced at their cellphones or listened to music through their ear buds.

"You can always go back and visit... right?" Violet looked over at the shorter girl curiously.

"There's no home to go back to, but that's okay, it's been gone for a long time." Clementine gave Violet a half smile as the light turned green and they started walking again.

"Oh." Violet knew there were better things to say than that, but it was all that she could manage to get out, hesitant to ask much more while they were surrounded by people. Though she was curious, she decided it better to change the topic, for the moment at least, "You give yourself one cheat meal a week and you use it on pancakes?" Violet chuckled.

Clementine frowned, "Pancakes are good... what would you eat if you had one cheat meal a week?"

"Chicken nuggets." Violet said without even having to think about her answer. The speed with which she answered had Clementine giggling so hard she had to clutch her side in pain. Violet crossed her arms as they crossed another street, "Why's that so funny?" She tried to sound offended, _wanted_ to sound offended, but Clementine's giggles set her heart on fire in a way that she had never felt before.

"I-I'm s-sorry Violet..." Clementine was giggling so much that Violet had to stop once they reached the other sidewalk. The curly haired girl inhaled slowly, attempting to catch her breath. After a minute, she stood up straight, wiping tears from her eyes, "I really am so sorry Violet, I haven't laughed that hard in a long time... I don't know what came over me, chicken nuggets are amazing."

"Sure." Violet rolled her eyes and continued walking but Clementine grabbed her by the arm and stopped her.

"No, really, it was sweet. I'm sorry for teasing, I think it's adorable." Clementine said, but Violet hardly heard her, her mind focused in on the feel of the dancer's soft hands on her forearms.

"It's okay." Violet managed to say, staring into her honey eyes.

"Okay," Clementine repeated, removing her hands from Violet's arm, making the blonde frown at the coldness that took their place, "This is the place." She gestured to the diner just a few feet ahead of them, "Just so you know... they call me Honey here." and before Violet could ask why she was heading into the building, Violet hurrying to keep up.

A chorus of "Honey!" rang out as Clementine stepped in. She waved and greeted all of the workers, as well as a few patrons, a man walked right up to her and whispered in her ear. Violet raised an eyebrow at him suspiciously, but Clementine's smile set her at ease.

"Do you need us to get rid of that girl for you?" He whispered so that only Clementine could hear, "She follow you from the club like that guy did last week?"

"No, Pete, nothing like that. I invited her. Thank you for looking out for me though." Clementine hugged the man, his cheeks reddened at the sign of affection.

Pete cleared his throat and spoke louder now, "The usual Miss Honey?"

"Yes please." Clementine smiled at the man before she turned to Violet, "Do you want to look at the menu?" Pete looked at her suspiciously still, but was prepared to go get a menu if she needed one.

"No, I'll have what she's having." Violet tried to smile her kindest smile at the man, sensing his distrust but he just nodded and turned on the spot, going behind the counters to ready the order.

Clementine walked to a booth in the back of the restaurant, tucked into the corner. She sat on one side and Violet slid into the seat across from her. They didn't even have time to speak before two glasses of orange juice were brought over and sat in front of them.

"Thank you." Clementine smiled brightly at the woman who dropped off the beverages.

"Pancakes will be right out." She told them, giving an extra long look to Violet before leaving the table.

Violet shrugged off their suspicious glances and focused on the girl in front of her. "I know you probably get asked this all the time..." she hesitated, looking up from her hands at Clementine who was sipping her juice.

"You can ask me anything." The brunette assured, setting her cup back on the table.

"Alright... um..." Violet scratched nervously at the back of her neck, "What made you, uh, want to be a um... _dancer_?" She whispered the last word, embarrassed at her question.

"I never wanted to be an exotic dancer." Clementine shrugged, meeting Violet's eyes, "My parents died when I was eight, I jumped from one foster home to another. I was in some for a year, some for less. Almost got adopted a couple of times but it never worked out. When I turned eighteen, I aged out of the foster care program. I took everything I had, which wasn't much, and got as far away from Georgia as I could get... which... wasn't that far..." She laughed at herself lightly and then continued, "I used the little money that my parents had left me when they died to get a small studio apartment. I found a job at a fast food restaurant but it wasn't enough to pay my bills and save for school. I went online looking for better paying jobs, found the strip club, three years later, here I am."

"I am so sorry..." Violet frowned, "about your parents and... that sounds rough..." she wasn't quite sure what to say.

"Don't be, things haven't always been great but I'm okay with where I am now." Clementine sat up straighter in her spot, a hint of Honey's smile on her face.

"Do you enjoy it?" Violet was curious, she didn't know if she could ever do something like that herself, but she had never been alone and desperate for money.

"It's not what I want to do for the rest of my life, but for now, it allows me to save a lot of money for school... and I guess it's not so bad when you kind of... let yourself become someone else, if that makes sense? It's a job that I do, but it's not who I am." Clementine tried to explain, feeling like she wasn't making much sense but trying.

"I get it." Violet smiled at her as the same waitress brought over two plates piled with pancakes and put them on the table.

"Enjoy." She said.

"Thank you." Clementine and Violet said in unison, smiling at each other shyly before smothering their pancakes in syrup and cutting into them.

Violet looked around, making sure no one could over hear before she asked, "Why does everyone here call you Honey?"

"Oh... well, for one, I don't share my real name with most people that know I'm a stripper. I have before an it caused some problems... Two, some of the men that work here frequent the club." Clementine said casually, Violet scrunched her face up in disgust. Clementine felt the need to continue her explanation, "They're sweet really. They never get lap dances, they just like getting attention from younger girls, and having someone to listen to them talk. Pete? The man at the front when we first came in?" Clementine lowered her voice and Violet nodded that she remembered him, "His wife died a few years ago. He tells me about her all the time. He'll just go on and on about how much he misses her even after all these years. I hope I can find a love like that someday..." She sounded wistful as she said it. Violet's stomach turned in knots, feeling like she was staring into loves honey colored eyes at that very second, but she knew she'd sound crazy if she said it out loud.

"I hope so too." Is what Violet said instead, noticing the light smattering of pink over the bridge of Clementine's nose and across her cheeks.

"Enough talking about me. How about you Violet, what do you do for work? Who do you want to be?" Clementine cut off another segment of pancake, sticking it in her mouth before looking intently at the blonde, awaiting her answer.

"I'm a mechanic, well, an oil changer at a car dealership. I'm working on getting my license to be a real mechanic. I really enjoy working with my hands and fixing something broken, seeing it work again is kind of exhilarating." Violet picked at her pancake as she talked, taking another bite when she finished her sentence.

"That sounds wonderful." Clementine was listening intently and Violet continued. Talking about her dream of owning her own shop one day and all of her other career goals. When they were almost done eating Clementine surprised Violet with another question, "Do you have any other dreams, not relating to work?"

Violet felt exposed, like Clementine could see through her chest and to her heart where Violet couldn't help but imagine the two of them together. As much as Violet wanted her career to work out, she wanted somebody beside her to celebrate.

"I try not to think too far ahead when it comes to certain... things... but as of now..." Violet said, staring down into her empty plate. Clementine pushed their plates aside, where nothing was left but syrupy remains. She used her polished purple nail to lift Violet's chin, just as she had inside. Violet swallowed hard and continued her thought, warmed by Clementine's encouraging smile, "I'd really like to take you on another date, a _real_ date." Clementine removed her finger and Violet was quick to add, "If you'd want to go out with me that is."

Clementine pulled a pen out of her hoodie pocket, like she had been planning this all along. She grabbed a napkin off the table and scribbled her phone number with a heart, "Don't make me regret this Violet." She said as she slid the napkin across the table to the blonde.

"You won't." Violet insisted just as the waitress set the bill on the table. Clementine grabbed the receipt before Violet could and pulled out a large sum of money from her pocket.

"I'm paying, I had a good tip night tonight." Clementine counted out the proper amount of money plus a hefty tip and stood from the table. Violet watched all of the ones hit the table. Knowing where they had come from, seeing flashes of the men who had given them. She shook her head and followed as Clementine said goodbye to everyone and left.

The walk back to the strip club was relatively quiet. Each girl focused on their own thoughts as they walked, until Clementine broke the silence, "How did your friend's wedding go? That you came in with the first time?"

"Oh... Well... It never happened..." Violet glanced over at Clementine, catching the sad expression on her face before she could look down at the sidewalk, "His fiance found out about um... you know... with you at the club, her sister was the red head with us and told her. She called the whole thing off the morning of." They had reached the strip club parking lot as she said it. No other cars in the lot besides theirs, only the neon buzz of the clubs sign and a small lamp post nearby provided light and cast shadows onto the well worn pavement.

Clementine stopped in the middle of the lot, true sorrow crossing her face, "I'm so sorry Violet. I didn't want that to happen. I don't want to break up relationships or tear apart families. When I'm paid for my service I can't afford to ask every man, 'How does your girlfriend or wife feel about this?' first. They would just move on to another girl. Men come in for bachelor parties all the time... I guess I try not to think about it, the consequences... I'm paid, I do what I'm paid for and I move on. I know it's not worth much, but I really am sorry."

"I don't blame you." Violet stood in front of Clementine, who hugged her arms around her baggy hoodie, "I blame Mitch for mentioning it, I blame Louis for saying yes or even Minerva for not interfering. She said she let it happen because if Louis was going to be unfaithful it was better her sister knew that before they got married, not after."

"I'm truly sorry." Clementine repeated again, still looking down in shame. It was Violet's turn to place a delicate finger beneath the brunette's chin, lifting her face, eyes connecting.

"It's _not_ your fault. Besides, they're trying to work it out, they've set a new wedding date. It's going to be alright." Violet's hand left her chin and delicately traced up to caress Clementine's cheek, speckles of glitter reflected from it in the lamp light.

"That makes me feel better. Thank you Violet, this was... _nice_, so nice." Clementine smiled and as Violet smiled back she found herself wanting to kiss her, wondering if Violet felt the same.

She leaned forward the small distance, Violet's warm hand on her cheek encouraging her movement. Their lips met. It was shy, an almost imperceptible touching of lips. Awkward for the girl who had so much experience in the sex industry but had almost no experience in love.

Clementine pulled back, face burning red she noticed Violet's mouth agape in surprise. "Next time, I'm paying." Violet said.

Clementine's face dropped, misunderstanding her meaning but Violet was quick to explain, "For the date, I want to take you on a real date and... I'm paying."

"Deal." Clementine smiled in relief, pulling Violet into a hug. Both girls holding on a little longer, basking in how safe they felt in the others presence. Eventually pulling away.

"Goodbye Clementine, I'll call you soon." Violet walked backwards toward her car, not wanting to look away. The feeling of Clementine's soft lips still burned on her own and she fought the urge to skip to her car instead of walk.

"Bye Violet, I'm looking forward to it." Clementine winked at the blonde, more confident now as their distance grew and her heart rate steadied. She got into her car and started it up, waiting for Violet to do the same before they both pulled out of the lot and when their separate directions.


	3. Part 3 (of 4)

Clementine clutched a cloth grocery bag to her chest as she pushed open the clear glass door that led into the brightly lit car dealership. The room was huge, there were floor to ceiling windows with cars parked inside on the white tile for display purposes. The brunette looked around the room, feeling uncomfortable in the unfamiliar space. Several men and women in button up shirts stood near a counter on the left, tags on their shirts read 'sales'. She avoided eye contact with them and looked to the right where people lounged around on chairs and sofas, presumably waiting for their cars to be repaired. Above them was a sign that pointed at a set of double doors which read 'maintenance'.

Wanting to speak with as few people as possible, she took her chance and walked in that direction, going through the doors and out into a large garage area. The ceiling was tall and had a large fan spinning slowly on it. Most stations had cars at them, hoods open as mechanics did whatever it was that needed done. Clementine scanned around, not finding the one person she was looking for.

"Excuse me Miss, can I help you?" A man that had to be about ten years older came up to her, wiping his dirty hands on a rag.

"Yes, does Violet Adlon work here?" Clementine asked, arms hugging the bag to her stomach now, not sure if any of this was such a good idea after all.

"Clementine?!" A surprised voice asked, drawing Clementine's eye to a large hole in the ground at one of the stations that had no car.

"Violet!" Clementine smiled, seeing only the head of the blonde popped out of the hole, oil smudge on her cheek, hair pulled back into a half pony tail. The brunette quickly thanked the man that was going to help her and walked carefully through the busy garage, past tools and vehicles, watching as Violet lifted herself easily from the pit.

The sight of Violet had Clementine nearly tripping over her own tennis shoes. Violet's white tank top clung to her slender form, showing off her feminine figure and revealing her thin yet muscular arms, grey coveralls were tied by the sleeves around her waist. The honey eyed girl had never seen her in anything so form fitting and revealing before.

"What are you doing here?" Violet grinned, standing up beside the brunette, swiping an arm across her forehead, leaving a streak of grease behind. Clementine stumbled over her words, failing to think clearly. Her eyes wandered up and down Violet's body, showing particular interest in the way her coveralls hung around her waist, slipping down partially to reveal the slight protrusion of her hip bone dipping in toward the pale skin of her lower abdomen, "My eyes are up here." Violet smirked, pointing towards her face.

"Sorry." Clementine blushed, looking up to meet Violet's green eyes.

"I'm happy to see you," Violet rested her hands on the hips that Clementine could hardly keep her eyes off of, "but what are you doing here? You've never visited me at work before."

"I feel silly for doing it now, but..." Clementine held up the bag she was carrying, "Happy one month anniversary, I brought lunch."

Violet smiled at the sweet gesture, "One month since...?" She tilted her head, trying hard to remember.

Clementine looked around shyly, seeing that everyone seemed to be occupied she leaned forward hesitantly and pecked Violet quickly on the lips.

"Ohhhhhh!" Violet cried out as realization hit her, "Of course, happy one month!" She pulled Clementine closer, kissing her again, less chaste, not seeming to care if any of her coworkers saw. Pulling away she grinned at Clementine's red cheeks.

"Can you eat now?" Clementine looked down, the brim of her hat hiding her face from Violet.

"I'm do for a lunch break, just let me tell my supervisor and we can sit at a picnic table outside. What'd you bring?" Violet attempted to look into the bag she was holding.

"Salad," Clementine smiled, Violet rolled her eyes, "and even though I don't eat dressing, I brought some for you."

"Thank you Clem," Violet frowned, "I'm sorry I forgot."

"It's okay, I know it's a silly thing to celebrate. I'm just excited about us." Clementine smiled in a reassuring manner.

"It's not silly, I'm excited about us too." Violet smiled back before running off to get approval from her supervisor.

Violet got to the club a little before close, a small bouquet of flowers in her hand she walked in and sat at the back, waiting for Clementine to finish working so that they could go get their weekly serving of pancakes. She glanced around briefly, looking for the brunette, finding her with a customer she quickly looked back down at the table and attempted to distract herself with her phone.

The distraction was insufficient when she heard a voice echoing through the club that she would recognize anywhere. They obviously weren't trying very hard to keep their voice down. It was almost like they wanted to be heard. Violet's head jerked back up, she stood, shoving her phone into her pocket she walked purposefully in the direction of the voice which just so happened to be in the same place Honey was.

Violet's stomach churned when she approached them, holding tighter to the flowers. Honey was sitting on the chair, between the spread open legs of none other than-

"Minerva." Violet fumed, fists clenched at her sides. Clementine stood immediately, Violet never interrupted her during work, something must be wrong, "What are you doing here?"

"You've been obsessed with this place lately, I thought maybe I was missing out, thought I'd come give Citrus Honey a shot since you seemed so smitten by her when we were here before." Minerva smirked, hands resting on her thighs as she leaned forward, "Now if you'll excuse us, my song's not over yet." She patted her legs over enthusiastically as she looked up at Honey.

Seeing the obvious look of heartbreak on Violet's face, Clementine reached into her garter belt and took out a twenty dollar bill, setting it on the table beside Minerva, "I'm sorry, you can use one of the other girls." When Clementine turned around, Violet was gone, flowers on the ground, club door swinging closed. Without a second thought she rushed out of the club on her heels, wearing a thong, a string bikini and little else.

"Violet! Please, stop!" Clementine begged in the parking lot, it was dark outside and the lamp post above them flickered erratically.

"Why should I? That's not what you did! She held up a $20 and you just came running." Violet spewed angrily, turning to face Clementine who had her arms wrapped around her near naked body.

They stood far apart, at least ten feet between them, Clementine's timid voice barely audible over the buzz of the neon signs. "Is it because you don't want me doing lap dances for women? If it is, I won't anymore, we don't get many anyway-"

"No! She was with us at the bachelor party! Don't you remember?!" Violet shouted and Clementine flinched.

"I thought she looked familiar but I didn't remember. I don't pay much attention to faces, only yours." Clementine tried desperately to rectify the situation, speaking so softly that Violet had to step closer to hear.

"Minerva and I, we didn't date exactly, but we have history." Violet tried to explain, noticing Clementine shiver. Filled with guilt Violet shrugged off her jacket and reached up to drape it around Clementine's shoulders, "I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at her... she must have heard that we were dating and come here to try and mess with me."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know." Clementine whispered, a tear running down her cheek, leaving a trail of smeared makeup behind, "I never would have..." Violet's heart shattered watching Clementine break down, unable to keep up her Honey facade, inches taller than her in her heels she cried. Violet's chest ached at what she had reduced the confident girl to.

"There's no reason you would have known, I'm sorry for yelling." Violet hugged her tight, cheek pressed into her chest, "You didn't do anything wrong. It was Minerva and... and _me_. Let me make it up to you. Come to my apartment after work, I'll make the pancakes?"

"O-okay." Clementine sniffled, allowing Violet to put an arm around her and guide her back into the club.

After work Clementine insisted on stopping by the diner so that they wouldn't worry about her absence. She climbed out of the car and went in to talk to them, getting hugs and smiles from a few of the workers, even Pete, who seemed the most over protective of the girl, didn't seem disapproving. Violet watched from the car, craning her neck to see inside the building as best she could, watching the interactions but trying to play it cool as Clementine came back out. The brunette grinned as she jumped into Violet's car and together they headed towards her apartment.

"What'd Pete say? I know he had to of said something..." Violet smirked as she drove.

"He told me to be safe and text him your address as soon as I get there in case something goes wrong he knows where to find me." Clementine laughed as Violet's face dropped, "Don't worry, he's actually starting to like you, he's just... cautious after the last time."

"The last time?" Violet asked, not sure if she wanted to know.

"It's been almost a year ago now, but a man from the club asked me out. He seemed harmless enough, so I went out with him. He took me to his place even though he told me we were going out to dinner. He tried to act like he was going to cook me dinner but the second we walked into his house he pulled out his wallet and asked me how much I charged. He got mad when I told him I wasn't a prostitute, I was just a stripper. He said 'same difference' and shoved me against the wall. Luckily I got out and I ran. I ran all the way back to the diner." Clementine explained, looking out the window as the city lights streaked by.

"I'm glad you have someone looking out for you. We don't have to go back to my place if it makes you uncomfortable." Violet frowned, not wanting the girl to think she was trying to coerce her into something, "We can go out to eat or back to your place if you'd rather?"

"You make me feel safe, I'm not scared to go back to your apartment with you." Clementine inhaled, channeling her inner confidence before she said, "Besides, I was hoping we could have some time alone together... We've been seeing each other for a month now."

"Kissing in the parking lot of the club not enough for you anymore?" Violet chuckled at the blush that overtook Clementine's cheeks, "Or the times we've sat in your car after you got off of work and made out, you want more?"

"I've never done anything more than what we've done, with anyone... but if I did... I'd want it to be with you."

Violet swallowed hard at the possibility that Clementine could be as smitten with her as she was with the brunette. It was an absurd thought. She had fallen head over heels for this timid and strong girl. Stayed up way too late on the weekends just so she could spend time with her. Every text message and phone call conversation was never enough. Was it possible that Clementine could possibly feel the same?

They pulled into the parking lot. Violet shifted the car into park and cut off the engine but didn't move to get out. Clementine looked at her curiously, seeing that she appeared to have something to say, she waited.

"I know we've only been dating a month... it's okay if you want to see other people," Violet said, but she didn't mean it, the thought of Clementine seeing someone else outside of work hours put a knot in her stomach, "but I want us to be girlfriends... exclusive girlfriends... if you want to?"

"I've never had a girlfriend before..." Clementine pried one of Violet's hands away from the steering wheel and held onto it, bashfully meeting those green eyes with her honey ones, "I would love to. I don't want to be with anyone else."

"Me neither." Violet smiled, ducking below the rim of Clementine's blue cap so she could kiss the brunette's lips. What was meant to be a simple peck, quickly escalated into more, warm bodies and heavy breathes soon fogged up the interior windows. Torsos pressed together over the center console, Violet's hands itched to delve beneath Clementine's baggy red hoodie, that revealed nothing of the full, curvy figure that the blonde knew was hidden underneath.

Violet extricated herself from Clementine's arms, willing herself to not take this any further while they were in the car, in the parking lot of her apartment complex. Even though her body was urging her to do the opposite, "Do you want to come up? I can still make pancakes or I can take you back to your car if you'd rather?"

Clementine held Violet's chin softly, guiding her to look her in the eye, voice heavy with desire, "I want to come up, but I'm not hungry for pancakes anymore."

Never had Violet found herself feeling so flustered in Clementine's presence before, Honey's yes, she was nothing but a mess around her, and while she knew they were the same person, the difference between the two personas was like night and day. Clementine smirked and grabbed her bag before she opened the door and stepped out into the cool night air. Violet followed after, leading the two of them into the building and up to her sixth floor apartment. Nervously she fumbled to find the right key, she could feel the heat of Clementine's body up against her back even though they weren't quite touching.

As soon as they were in, Violet pulled off her jacket and hung it by the door. Clementine typed a hurried text out on her phone.

"Did you really just text Pete where I live?" Violet asked in mild amusement.

"Just the complex, not the apartment number. If I didn't text him anything he would get sick with worry. Besides, you have nothing to worry about if you're good to me." Clementine winked.

"I would never dream of being anything else." Violet stepped forward, eager to resume where they had left off in the car. She wanted to sweep the brunette into a passionate kiss and whisk her to her bedroom but her plans derailed after one look at the anxious girl in front of her.

Clementine held up her bag and bit her lip, debating what she was about to say, "I brought some work clothes with me just in case... I could change..?"

Violet took the bag from Clementine's hands and set it on the nearby kitchen table, "As much as I'd love Citrus Honey to strip down and have her way with me..." She pecked the brunette's lips, "I want our first time together to be with Clementine."

"You're sure?" Clementine reddened, "I feel more confident, more... _enticing._.. in those clothes."

"You've never been more attractive than you are right now." Violet insisted, kissing her again, knocking into Clementine's hat, she reached up and removed it, tossing it onto the table beside the bag before continuing their kiss.

Violet steered Clementine backwards onto the couch, breaking their lips apart just so she could ease her into a sitting position, kneeling down beside her and resuming the kiss, deepening it. Violet's hands once again hovered on the edge of Clementine's hoodie, wanting to remove it but not having the courage to take it off.

She didn't have to worry long as Clementine reached down for her, grabbing the hem, she pulled it up and over her head, forcing their mouths apart. Violet took the opportunity to look over the brunette's flushed cheeks, eyes roaming down, surprised to see that she had no shirt underneath, only a black sports bra. "I know it's not very sexy..." Clementine mumbled.

"Clementine, Citrus Honey has _nothing_ on you." Violet said, voice thick with desire, her eyes hungrily continued to scan down, noticing what looked like the elastic band of boxer shorts poking out of the top of Clementine's jeans. The brunette caught her gaze and explained, voice filled with embarrassment, "I wear them after work because I find them more comfortable after wearing my work clothes for hours..."

Violet met honey eyes with her green ones, longing reflecting in both of them, "I think it's sexy." She whispered. Unable to wait any longer she leaned in to kiss Clementine's neck, slowly moving down, lingering on spots when she found they coaxed whimpers from the quiet girl, "Want to take this into my bedroom? I have a floor to ceiling window with an amazing view of the city." Violet asked, her fingers playing distractedly with the band of Clementine's shorts.

"I don't want to see the city right now, I only want to see you." Clementine tugged on Violet's shirt. The blonde hesitated, feeling self-conscious under those honey eyes. She held her breath, as if she were preparing to dive into the deep end of the pool, unsure if she knew how to swim or not. Only hoping that someone would be there to save her once she leapt. Shakily her hands pulled her shirt over her head, dropping it to the ground she waited, lungs hungry for oxygen when Clementine finally whispered in awe, "You're so beautiful Violet." And her words gave Violet breath. They filled her lungs with the sweetest oxygen and she had the courage to dive back in.

The next afternoon Clementine awoke feeling a soft but unfamiliar fabric against her bare back. Bare? Clementine's eyes jolted open when she realized that she was naked underneath the green fleece throw blanket. Terror spread through her first, eyes darting around the room she didn't recognize. The smell of pancakes wafted to her and she crinkled her nose, remembering everything that had happened the previous night. Flashes of Violet and her exploring one another's bodies in ways she had never experienced before sent red to her cheeks.

"Good morning my sweet little citrus." Violet said in a cheery voice, stack of pancakes in her hand as she leaned over the couch to smile down at Clementine, "I promised you pancakes."

"More like lured me up to your apartment with the promise of pancakes, and gave me something entirely different instead." Clementine held the blanket securely around her chest.

"Don't say it like that..." Violet said sadly, the corner of her lips drooping into a frown, "I wasn't trying to coerce you."

"No, I know. Bad joke, I'm sorry." Clementine sat up, pecking Violet on the cheek, "I wanted to have sex with you, have for a long time if I'm being honest with you." She kept the blanket pulled tight around her.

"Really?" Violet asked in interest, "Since when?" She walked around the couch wearing a tank top and lose pajamas. She sat down beside the brunette, placing the warm plate of pancakes onto her lap. They were prepared with syrup and whipped cream just the way she liked them. Clementine was very much aware of how naked she was underneath her blanket, but she pushed on to continue their conversation as if she weren't, it was something she had a lot of practice doing at least.

"From the very first time you came to the club by yourself. You sat in the back looking so uncomfortable." Clementine recalled with a smile on her face, cutting into her pancakes, "The way you squirmed when I walked up to you. How adorable you were when you held up that twenty and asked to talk to me. I leaned in so close so that you could stick the money where ever you wanted and you awkwardly slid it into my hand and the way you kept your eyes on my face. So many things about you drove me crazy."

"Then why did you wait three more weeks before you went out with me!" Violet asked in shock.

"Just because I thought you were attractive didn't mean you weren't an attractive weirdo. I needed to make sure." Clementine shrugged, sticking another syrupy bite into her mouth, "This is so good, thank you." She said with her mouth full.

"You're welcome." Violet scratched nervously at the back of her neck, "Hey Clem?" Clementine 'hm'd' her response through another bite, "Since we're girlfriends and all now, I'd really like you to be my plus one... at Louis and Sophie's wedding next weekend."

"Oh... Violet..." Clementine set down her fork on her plate, pancakes half eaten she set them down on the end table beside her, "I don't think that's a good idea... They postponed their marriage because of me-"

"Not because of you!" Violet was quick to defend her, "Because of Louis."

"Regardless, I think you should go without me." Clementine said resolutely, only cracking under Violet's saddened expression.

"Please? No one will even recognize you, I want you beside me." Violet begged, taking her face gently in her hands.

"Okay..." Clementine conceded, melting under those green eyes, the knot in her stomach telling her it was a mistake.

"Thank you Clem, thank you." Violet kissed Clementine's syrupy sweet lips in glee, jumping up to get her own plate, "It'll be great."

"Great..." Clementine grinned, unable to stop the worry from bubbling up inside her chest.

"You may kiss the bride!" The preacher announced, Louis and Sophie kissed, before turning to wave at all of their loved ones, "There will be a reception in the outdoor garden, if everyone will please make their way in that direction." The preacher patted the bride and groom on the shoulder before stepping off the platform and leading everyone to the outside reception area.

Clementine sat nervously near the back of the chairs on the groom's side. She was alone since Violet was part of the wedding, one of Louis's grooms people. She had managed to keep her head down and go unrecognized thus far, but sitting down and watching the ceremony was the easy part. Mingling at the reception was going to be tough.

She stayed seated until she saw Violet heading in her direction wearing a fitted gray suit with a pink bow tie and cummerbund, "Thank you for being here Clem, you have no idea how nice it is to have a kind face in the crowd to focus on."

"I think I do." Clementine winked, recalling how much she loved having Violet at the club when she worked. She stood up, inches taller than Violet in her heeled boots, "Are you sure this dress isn't too tight?" Clementine uncomfortably tugged at the black spandex like fabric as she examined herself in the reflection of a nearby window, "The only dresses I have are for work..."

"You look beautiful." Violet insisted, pulling Clementine's hands away so that she could lead her along with the crowds outside to the party area, "I need to go say hello to Louis's parents, come with me?" Violet asked as she spotted them across the garden.

"How about you do that and I'll get us both a glass of champagne?" Clementine rebuttaled, spotting a table with a pyramid of champagne glasses stacked on it.

"Okay." Violet chuckled, knowing that Clementine was on edge, she pecked her on the cheek, "I won't take long." Violet veered off towards Louis's parents on the other side of the makeshift dance floor while Clementine went to the opposite side of the garden where a recognizable face stood between her and the alcohol.

"If it isn't Citrus Honey! What are you doing here? Ooooh, did someone hire you to pop out of a cake?" Mitch asked excitedly, recognizing the girl immediately.

"No... I don't do private events anymore..." Clementine reddened at the confrontation, immediately recognizing the boy as a regular at the club. She was not at all comfortable with the direction of the conversation, "I'm here as Violet's date."

"You're here with Violet? That sly dog!" Mitch smiled a huge grin and surprisingly lowered his voice, "How much do you charge for your escort services? I never even thought about that! I could have a beautiful girl on my arm right now... Does your price include a little _something_ after you get taken home?" Mitch asked excitedly. Clementine's face burned red at the line of questioning. She hated when people assumed she was a girl for hire just because she stripped at a club, like she was some sexual play thing to be used at anyone's whim.

So distracted was Clementine by Mitch that she didn't see Minerva speaking with Sophie near the refreshment table, pointing at her and whispering harshly. "No... I'm not an escort, I'm her girlfriend." Clementine defended herself, folding her arms across her chest, trying to hide it's low cut, wishing more than ever that she had her hoodie to hide behind at that moment.

"Floozy!" called out a voice from Clementine's other side, she turned and faced it. There stood the bride, fuming in her white gown, hands clenched at her side, "How dare you turn up at our wedding, you- you homewrecker!"

"I-" Clementine started, words quickly dying before they left her mouth, not knowing what to say. Violet's head shot up from across the garden where she was laughing and mingling with Louis's parents still. When she saw Clementine backed up against the champagne table, Sophie yelling obscenities at her, she left the conversation without bothering to make an excuse and began darting through the crowds, "I shouldn't have come, I'll go..." was all Clementine managed to whisper.

Clementine tried to step away but Sophie shoved her hard, sending the brunette crashing back into the tower of champagne glasses causing them to topple over, "Skank!" Sophie shouted as the glasses rained down on top of Clementine.

"Sophie!" Violet finally burst through the crowds, "Back off, she came with me, stop blaming her for what Louis did. He didn't mean anything by it anyway, I was there, it was a mistake but if you can't get over it then dump him, but don't blame her."

Violet crouched down next to Clementine, wet and sticky with champagne, broken glasses piled up around her, "Are you hurt?" Violet asked, voice soft, total opposite of how it sounded when she spoke to Sophie, "Let me see your hands." Clementine held up her trembling hands from where she sat in the champagne soaked grass.

Several cuts lined her arms where she had shielded herself from the tower's collapse, but none of them were deep, "Let's get you home." Violet carefully pulled her to her feet. The yard silent as everyone stared.

"We have to take pictures still Violet, you can't leave yet!" Sophie huffed, Minerva standing at her side, arms crossed over her pink gown with a smirk.

"I'm not staying anywhere my girlfriend gets treated like this." Violet fumed, slipping her arm around Clementine's waist, she guided her out of the building and to her car.

The car ride home was quiet. Clementine only giving out whispered directions as Violet drove towards her apartment complex, the radio turned off so that she could hear her words more clearly. When she parked in the lot, Violet noticed it was more run down than where she lived. No pool or tennis court amenities like the ones she had. It was bare bones with the entrances on the exterior of the building.

"Home sweet home." Clementine mumbled with a half-hearted smile, "Thank you for taking me home. I'll change real fast and get a towel to clean up any mess I made in your car. If you can take me back to your apartment so I can get my car, I'd appreciate it... Then..." Clementine sniffled, "Then I won't bother you anymore." Tears ran down her cheeks.

As the brunette started to open the car door and leave, Violet grabbed onto her hand and stopped her, "I want you to bother me. Let me go up with you, I don't want to leave you alone right now." Clementine gave a small nod and Violet released her. The two got out, Violet immediately took the honey eyed girl's hand, "I'm so sorry that happened Clementine, I can't believe Sophie did that. I won't rest until she's apologized."

"It's okay..." Clementine said quietly as she led them down an outdoor staircase instead of up. It led down to the ground where a couple doors resided. Clementine unlocked hers and opened it for Violet to come in.

"It's not okay." Violet affirmed, "If my friends can't accept you, then they're not my friends anymore." Clementine disappeared into the small bathroom off to the side in order to wash the stickiness from her skin. Violet took the opportunity to look around. The apartment was small, one room, but it was tidy. A bed was against one wall. A long dresser with a tv on it sat against the opposite wall from the bed, an island separated the living area from the kitchen. A small desk sat in the corner with a lone chair, but the most surprising piece of furniture was the stripper's pole that resided in the open space between the bed and the kitchen.

"That was a gift from the girls at the club, for my one year anniversary." Clementine explained when she came out of the bathroom and noticed Violet looking at it, "It's nice to be able to practice when I'm at home and not have to go to the club, but this-" Clementine rushed over to the desk excitedly, "this is where I'll do my homework when I start school this coming Fall!"

"You're starting school?" Violet smiled in excitement, knowing it was her dream to go to college.

"I signed up for classes last night! I didn't want to tell you until it was official. I'll still work at the club on weekends because I can't afford to not make any money but I'm cutting down my days." Clementine beamed, shrugging off the incident at the wedding, looking forward to the future as Violet wrapped her in a tight embrace.

"I am so proud of you." Violet whispered into her hair, before pulling away with a chuckle, "Your clothes are still sticky, you should change." Clementine took Violet by the shoulders and steered her backwards onto the bed, pushing her onto it with a sparkle in her eyes, "Huh?" Violet questioned.

"Are you telling me to take it off?" Clementine asked in a sultry Citrus Honey voice, spinning once around the pole and pulling at the front of her dress collar in a taunting gesture as Violet leaned up on her elbows on the bed.

"I... um... if you want to..." Violet stumbled over her words as Clementine bent over her and loosened her tie.

"You're the only one I've ever wanted to for." Citrus Honey whispered teasingly close to Violet's lips before turning back to the pole. Violet's eyes wide as she put on a show that was only for her.


	4. Part 4 (of 4)

The walls were white, the pews were white, the carpet that ran down the center aisle was white. Violet wore a white tux, with a white rose pinned to her lapel. She stood nervously at the front of the chapel. White lights shown overhead, illuminating the room that was full of friends and loved ones.

Violet's side had Mitch, Marlon, Brody, Ruby, her mom and dad, even Minerva, Sophie and Louis had come. After all it had been over a year since the incident and everyone had become good friends with Clementine since then. Once they all got to know her, they were able to look past her occupation. Even though Mitch still asked her inappropriate questions sometimes, which usually earned him a punch from Violet herself.

Clementine's side was filled with people from the diner, both staff and customers that had grown acquainted with Honey over the last several years. As well as girls from the strip club and a few classmates she had met at school.

The organ picked up and started playing 'Here Comes the Bride' just as the back doors of the chapel opened and through those doors stepped Clementine. Her dress was sleeveless, it had a white corset with fancy swirls and big buttons. The white skirt had a long train that followed her down the aisle and a slit that came up to mid thigh. Violet's breath caught in her chest as she watched Clementine walk towards her with a bouquet of white daisies clutched in front of her.

Never had Violet seen her looking so beautiful. Her hair was down in curls, a veil was attached to the top of her head but it hung behind her and didn't cover her face. When Clementine got halfway down the aisle she stopped. Violet scrunched her face in confusion as the organ ground to a halt and Mitch stood up on a pew with a speaker, turning on a song full blast.

"Take it oooooooff!" Mitch screamed as the bass thumped and the lights dimmed and a stripper pole rose from a hole in the ground that Violet hadn't noticed before. Without missing a step Clementine tore the veil from her head and threw it into the pews. Men shoved each other out of the way in an attempt to grab hold of it. She hooked her knee onto the pole and leaned backwards while unbuttoning the top of her corset, slowly, painstakingly, arching to reveal a black bra underneath.

Violet gaped from the front, watching soundlessly as Clementine let her corset drop to the ground, quickly followed by her skirt, showing off her lacey black panties to a group of nearby men.

"Stop!" Violet shouted, trying to walk down the aisle towards her soon to be wife but the faster she ran the further away she got, "Clementine! Don't!"

"Clementine who?" The curly haired brunette sneered as she leaned over Minerva who was holding out a five dollar bill, Violet watched in horror as she tucked it in her cleavage, the girl's eyes never leaving Violet, "My name's Citrus Honey."

"Noooooo!" Violet shot up in bed, sweat beading on her forehead, the music from the dream still pounded behind her ears.

An arm wrapped around Violet's hips, "Shhhh, it's okay, it's okay." whispered a tired but soothing voice. Violet laid back down, heart still racing, she looked into the face beside her, noticing that her honey eyes were still closed.

"I had a bad dream Clem." Violet said quietly to her girlfriend, not wanting to disturb her if she was still asleep.

"I'm here." Clementine breathed out, "Everything's okay." Her eyes remained shut and she snuggled into Violet's side beneath the blankets. Violet inhaled deeply and focused on the Clementine beside her in bed, not the one in her dream. This Clementine would never strip down the aisle on their wedding day, she would blush and look at her feet, too shy to meet Violet's eyes. Violet smiled at the thought of it. They had been dating just over a year now and she knew that Clementine was the one for her. Not to say she was going to propose anytime soon, but if the dream proved anything to her, it was that she didn't know how much longer she could tolerate Clementine's occupation.

Violet breathed in deeply through her nose and out of her mouth and loosely draped her arms around the brunette. She didn't want to let her go, but she didn't know if she could stand to watch men ogle at her girlfriend anymore. Night after night they lived out their fantasies as they watched her dance on stage or felt her rub up against them. Violet looked down at Clementine's face, so calm and peaceful as she slept, the opposite of the way Violet felt at that moment. As much as she hated it, she knew what she was signing up for when they started dating. She knew she couldn't ask Clementine to quit her job and give up her independence just because she felt insecure. For now she would swallow it down and continue her unbridled support.

Violet leaned down and kissed Clementine on the head, picking up her phone she shut off the alarm before it had a chance to go off. It was a Friday, which meant Clementine had no classes that morning and work in the evening, but Violet still had to get up early for her job.

She got out of bed as carefully as she could, shifting the blankets so that Clementine would have something to snuggle in her absence but it didn't work. The brunette's low grumble signified that she was aware that Violet had left her.

"Take a sick day." Clementine begged, eyes fluttering open for just a second before closing again.

"You know I can't. I just got my certifications and moved out of the oil change bay. If I don't show up now they'll move me back down." Violet frowned as she sat on the edge of the bed and pulled on a pair of socks. As she stuck one leg into a pair of gym shorts, Clementine's arms wrapped around her waist.

Violet looked back at her, seeing she had pushed the covers off, only wearing a loose t-shirt and panties. "I'll take a sick day, if you take a sick day." Violet offered, reaching around to play with Clementine's messy morning hair, wrapping a loose curl around her finger.

"I can't do that..." Clementine frowned, releasing her hold on Violet she rolled over onto her back, "Carver's already mad I've cut my days back, he's threatening to put me on the afternoon shift... do you know how bad tips are that early in the day and how creepy the guys are?" She stretched, shirt raising to reveal her lower stomach.

While Clementine was still shy in public, she had grown comfortable with Violet through their time spent together. More relaxed in her presence than she was in anyone elses, "Then it looks like we're both going to work then." Violet smiled as she stood up from the bed and exchanged her t-shirt for a black tank top before going into the connecting bathroom. She grabbed her toothbrush, smeared on some toothpaste and leaned against the door frame so she could continue the conversation with Clementine.

"Alright, I needed to go to the gym anyway and then go back to my apartment. I need to practice my new routine and collect my laundry. Are you okay with me using your washing machine?" Clementine sat up in the bed, leaning against the headboard.

"You don't have to ask, my home is your home." Violet mumbled, mouth full of toothpaste, "I've asked you to move in with me."

"I want to Vi, you know that I want to, but I'm scared." Clementine admitted, hugging her knees to her chest, "If you get mad at me, or decide you don't want me around anymore, if I screw this up... You could just throw me out and I'd be on the streets with no where to go. Having the apartment makes me feel safer."

Violet sighed and spit the toothpaste into the sink, rinsing her mouth, "I would never kick you out Clem, I love you," Violet knelt beside her on the bed, hugging her and pressing a kiss to her cheek, "but you keep your apartment as long as you need to, okay? I understand."

"Thanks." Clementine smiled, pecking Violet on the lips.

Violet grinned, "See you after work for pancakes?"

"See you then." Clementine confirmed smiling as Violet left the room for work.

Clementine once again stood outside the large, brightly lit dealership. She checked her reflection over in the reflective glass. Tennis shoes, jeans, hat, button up shirt that was maybe just a little too fitted. She scanned over her image, part of her really wanted to go back to her car and pull on her hoodie but another part of her really wanted to unbutton the top couple buttons of her shirt and give Violet something to look at. She shook her head and walked in as is, knowing she looked crazy just standing in front of the door as long as she had.

Clementine walked in with confidence, by now she knew exactly where she was going. Thoughtlessly she weaved through cars on display and customers loitering around the auto repair waiting area. She pushed open the double doors into the maintenance bay, greeting the workers that now knew her by name.

"Is Violet busy?" Clementine asked a boy that she got along pretty well with, the patch on his shirt said that his name was Duck. She doubted that was his real name, but knew what it was like to have more than one of her own and never pressed him about it.

"Hey Clem, she's actually dealin' with a customer right now and they don't seem too happy..." Duck pointed to the far end of the garage where a very expensive looking car sat, hood open. A very large man was speaking angrily with Violet, who looked none to calm herself.

Clementine turned, squared her shoulders, unbuttoned the top couple buttons of her shirt and walked confidently down to where they stood, "Excuse me sir, is there a problem?" Clementine asked, keeping her cool even though it angered her to see someone being rude to her girlfriend.

"This 'mechanic' ruined my car!" The big man growled, actually doing finger quotes when he said the word 'mechanic'.

"And I was telling him that I changed his battery, which _did_ need changing, but there seems to be a problem with his starter as well." Violet fumed, arms folded and foot tapping angrily.

"Sir, I am so sorry for this inconvenience." Clementine smiled her sweetest smile, "There's nothing more frustrating than when your car breaks down. A handsome man like you deserves only the best and that's exactly what I'm going to make sure you get."

The man looked like he was ready to keep arguing, not expecting Clementine to be on his side, he nodded dumbly.

"I assure you, Ms. Adlon is a competent mechanic and will work tirelessly until your vehicle is up and running again. I will _personally_ see to it that she does. While she replaces your..." Clementine glanced over at Violet for help.

"Starter." Violet pitched in, looking between Clementine and the man in confusion.

"Yes, while she replaces your starter, I can show you where you can get a nice cup of coffee, what do you say big fella?" Clementine rested her hand on the crook of his elbow.

"Yeah... okay..." He grumbled, allowing Clementine to lead him into the building. Violet staring after them in bewilderment. When Clementine didn't come back after a minute, Violet got to work on the car.

When Clementine finally came back out, she spotted Violet leaned over the engine, using a socket wrench to bolt the new starter firmly in place. So occupied with what she was doing she didn't notice Clementine standing beside her, but the brunette didn't mind. She watched Violet, her black tank top edging up as she bent over the car. Silken skin of her lower back taunting.

As soon as she finished, Violet stood up, wiping her greasy hands on her coverall pant legs, resting the tool on her shoulder, holding it with one hand, she saw Clementine from the corner of her eye, "Sorry, didn't see you there."

Clementine bit her lip and met Violet's eyes, embarrassed at having been caught staring.

"I don't know why you're so turned on by me in these dirty clothes." Violet stretched, smirking as Clementine's eyes shifted from her face, downward once more, "What are you doing here?"

"I was in the area and thought you might want to get some lunch, if you're hungry." Clementine said, licking her bottom lip unconsciously as her eyes continued to examine the dip in Violet's neckline.

"You're hungry for lunch or for me?" Violet tried to hold back her smile, enjoying the attention. Clementine worked with naked girls, it was her job, the female form was no mystery to her, but she'd go out of her way to catch a glimpse of Violet in her work uniform, "I think you've been coming here for lunch so much lately just so you can get a show."

"N-no I haven't." Clementine said, a blush spread across the bridge of her nose.

"Sure." Violet smirked, setting down her tool and kissing Clementine on the cheek, "Why were you inside so long?"

"Oh, I was just telling that man what he wanted to hear in order to get him to leave you alone and I ended up getting him to buy a new car." Clementine laughed.

Violet looked at her in shock, "He went from being angry about an extra repair to buying a new car?"

"Yeah, but I just wanted to him to stop being a jerk. I told you I was a good hustler." Clementine winked and stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Violet's waist, her hands caressing the exposed skin there, "Who cares about that though, where do you want to go for lunch?"

Violet smiled as the light brushing of the brunette's finger tips tickled her sides, she whispered huskily into her ear, "The backseat of my car in a secluded parking lot?"

Clementine made a sound that could only be described as an 'Eep', which made Violet chuckle before taking her by the hand and leading her to the car.

Another Friday night at the club. Or more like Saturday morning. The bouncer, Mike, let Violet in for free and she sat in the back at her usual table. Yes, she now had a usual table. She sipped from her glass, it was her usual drink. Yes, she now had a usual and the bartender knew it by heart. Every weekend Violet found herself arriving later and later and yet she drank more and more.

The closer Clementine and Violet became as girlfriends, the harder it was for Violet to watch the brunette flaunting herself in front of strange men. Even so, she still looked forward to seeing Clementine's confident, sensual side, Honey, strut across the floor in her direction. Just as she was doing right now.

"Hey sexy." Honey purred, sitting down on Violet's lap without a second's hesitation.

"Hey Hon." Violet yawned, draping an arm around the back of her chair, casually swirling the liquid in the glass in her opposite hand.

"Oh, you're no fun anymore." Honey pouted as she stroked Violet's hair, crossing her legs dramatically, "Whatever happened to my little stuttering mess?"

"I've grown up." Violet took an exaggerated sip of her drink, not looking Honey in the eye for fear she would crack.

"I miss the way you used to panic when you looked at me." Honey frowned, "The way your fingers would twitch with desire." She pulled her shoulders in together, pressing her cleavage closer to the blonde.

"I'm used to it," Violet shrugged, trying to look bored as she set her glass down on the near by table, "and I've touched you before."

"Yes you _have_, you know what I feel like. Do you want to touch me right now?" Honey shifted so that one knee rested on the chair between Violet's thighs, the other foot on the ground. Clementine fluttered her eyelashes, trying desperately to fluster her girlfriend, she moved her mouth close to Violet's lips without touching, "Do you want to kiss me?"

Violet lifted her hands, moving them to rest on Honey's hips, only for the curly haired girl to grab her by the wrists, stopping her, "Nuh uh uh, no _touching_. I asked if you wanted to touch me, I didn't say you could." She smiled, seeing the slightest twinge on Violet's face, "Can't let these guys see you touching me without consent and think they can do whatever they want too, can we?"

Violet dropped her hands back down to her sides, "You're just stopping me because you know how _good_ I am with my _hands_." she looked smug, like she had made it her personal mission to withstand Honey's flirtations. Doubly winning if she managed to get Honey to blush instead of herself.

Honey grinned, leaning forward she slipped her knee up against Violet, "And you know how good I am _without_ mine."

"I-" Violet's face flushed, immediately becoming a stammering mess, "C-Clem, not here, in front of-of _people_." Her eyes darted around the busy club, not wanting anyone else to see what was going on.

"Then say I win." Clementine whispered.

"Win what?" Violet panicked, only for Clementine to smile slyly and drag her knee upward, "You win!" Violet scooted as far back in her chair as she could, "Please, let's not do this here."

"Say, 'please, Honey'." Honey breathed out hotly onto Violet's neck.

"Please, Honey!" Violet gasped as Honey pressed in closer.

"Okay, since you asked so _nicely_." Honey giggled softly, easing off of Violet, throwing her a wink. She turned, swaying seductively as she made her way around the tables of jeering men.

Violet frowned as she left. Gone to flirt, to rub against someone else. She stood abruptly from the spot and went to get another drink, and then another and another, looking up just in time to see Honey leading a man about their age down the hallway to the private rooms.

The private rooms.

Violet hated when Honey, no, not Honey- Clementine. She hated when Clementine took men back into the private rooms. As much as she hated watching her girlfriend rub up against men for twenty dollar bills, at least she knew exactly what was going on. When she went to the private rooms, her imagination ran wild. It wasn't like she didn't trust Clementine. She trusted the brunette no matter what persona she was channeling, but she didn't trust these guys and she didn't like the idea that they got to see what should be exclusively hers to see.

She knew that sounded controlling. She knew she didn't own Clementine, but being in a committed, loving relationship usually came certain expectations and one of those expectations was that you were the only person that got to see your partner _exposed_.

Other people getting to see Clementine's naked body was only the half of it. If they tipped enough, did she allow them to touch her? The thought made Violet so angry that she wanted to scream. She slammed her glass down a little too hard as her mind wandered. Mike looked at her with concern, but didn't approach her.

Violet had wanted to ask Clementine on countless occasions about what happened in those rooms. Spent an hour preparing what she would say, how she would ask. But when Clementine came out of the club at the end of the night with her make-up smeared off, wearing her baggie hoodie, baseball hat perched on the top of her head, hiding her curls, Violet couldn't bring herself to ask. She would smile so brightly, excited to be off work and ready to spend time with her girlfriend, eating pancakes and talking, that the blonde couldn't bring herself to ruin the moment.

Violet stood from her chair with such force that it clattered to the ground. The noise garnered Mike's attention once more and with a worried look he made his way over to the blonde.

"You okay Violet?" He asked, setting a calming hand onto her shoulder but she slapped it off.

"Yeah, I'm totally fine. My girlfriend is back there rubbing her boobs in some guy's face. I'm great." Violet stumbled towards the bar, "The usual." She demanded, slamming her fist on the counter.

"I think you've had enough." The bartender frowned, eyes glancing up to Mike for confirmation.

"I agree, maybe you should have some water? I'll get you something to eat." Mike said, taking a cup of water that the bartender was already holding out to him. He stuck it in Violet's hand, but she threw it on the ground. It shattered. The smashing sound drowned out by the loud music, "Violet." Mike said sternly, "I like you, but if you're going to cause trouble you're going to have to leave"

"I'm fine!" Violet held her hands in the air, "I'm done!" She staggered back from the shattered glass just as Clementine walked out of the back wearing the same orange top and bottoms she had been wearing before. The guy came strutting out of the hall behind her and before Mike could stop Violet, she took large strides towards the customer and shoved him hard.

"Does that make you feel like a man?" Violet shoved him again, "Having to pay women to touch you? Huh?"

"Violet stop!" Clementine pulled her away, grateful when the boy went back to his table, laughing it off with his friends, "Vi, what's wrong?" She lowered her voice, holding Violet's face in both of her hands, shaking her head at Mike as he approached the two, trying to tell him that he wasn't needed.

"I can't do this anymore Clem..." Violet cried, tears streaking down her face, "I tried not to care, to not let it bother me, but... I just... I can't anymore."

"What are you trying to say Vi..." Clementine's breath hitched in her chest, a painful lump formed in her throat.

"I don't _know_ what I'm saying! I can't ask you to quit, it's not fair... but... I can't do _this _anymore." Violet threw her arms out to the side, "I love you, but I _can't_." She broke down, crying into Clementine's chest, with little fabric to absorb the tears, they ran unobstructed down her skin.

"Your boss offered me a job today." Clementine whispered, arms encircling Violet.

"What?" Violet moved back, looking up into Clementine's face.

"I told him that I'd think about it, but I don't need to think about it anymore. I'll take it." Clementine nodded, feeling peaceful in her decision, "I can't lose you."

"Clem... I'm sorry, I'm not going to leave you, nothing's worth leaving you over." Violet wiped at her eyes, "I got jealous and I overreacted, you don't have to quit."

"I want to quit. It's all I've wanted for the longest time." Clementine admitted, "I'm just scared that I won't do a good job. That I won't make enough money. That I'll do something to screw up our relationship and you'll leave me and we'll be stuck working together and it'll be awkward."

Now it was Violet's turn to hold Clementine's face in her hands, "Will you stop planning on us to fail?"

"I'm sorry..." Clementine mumbled just as Violet pulled her down for a kiss.

"Don't be sorry. Let me whisk you away from this life that you never wanted." Violet declared.

"Carry me off into the sunset." Clementine joked back, eyes watery.

"Okay!" Violet swept Clementine off her feet and carried her toward the exit.

"Wait!" Clementine giggled into the crook of Violet's neck, "I'm not dressed!"

"Oh yeah..." Violet set Clementine back down, "Get dressed, pack up all your stuff, tell Carver you quit and _then_ I'll carry you away."

"Done," Clementine kissed her again, not caring who was watching, "and then maybe we can move out of our apartments and find a place together?"

"That sounds perfect." Violet agreed, hoping this wasn't all a dream.

"And we can get a puppy?" Clementine asked hopefully.

"That's a big commitment. Starting a family together..." Violet admitted, holding the brunette close as she reddened in embarrassment at the idea, feeling silly now, "Let's do it."

Clementine beamed, "I'll get my stuff." She hurried off, excited for this next chapter in her life.

When she was almost to the back door a man held up a twenty dollar bill, whistling at Clementine. The brunette stopped and took the twenty from his hand.

She set the money back on his table with a flourish and cleared her throat, "I'm sorry. I don't do that anymore." She turned her back on the man and the lifestyle she had been forced into for so long. Finally free from her self imposed bondage, free to pursue a life with Violet.


End file.
